Financial Aid

Making a Lab Education Affordable

Lab welcomes all applicants, regardless of financial need. Those who wish to apply for financial aid must do so in tandem with the school admissions process, meeting all the deadlines noted below.

Having the best and brightest students in our classrooms is part of what makes the Lab experience special, so the Schools strive to make our educational program affordable for as many families as possible through scholarship and financial aid assistance. Ability to pay is not a consideration during the admissions process. All families are expected to contribute some portion of tuition and fees. Approximately 70 percent receive some discount to full tuition through either aid, tuition remission, or both.

In keeping with long-standing traditions and policies, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools considers students for admission on the basis of individual merit and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, disability, or any other protected class under the law in its admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, educational policies, and other administered programs.

2018 Applications

All applicants are required to submit both 2016 and 2017 taxes prior to receiving a finalized financial aid award.

2016 Tax Deadline: January 31, 20182017 Tax Deadline: April 15, 2018

Families who submit all necessary 2016 taxes by January 31, 2018, and who indicate no significant anticipated change in income or extenuating circumstances, can expect to receive notice of a preliminary, non-final financial aid decision the same time as receiving an acceptance letter to Lab.

Preliminary awards are not final and will not be formally applied to a student’s account until the entire FACTS application is complete (including both 2016 and 2017 taxes). Preliminary awards may increase or decrease based on additional information that is provided.

Families who are applying to attrition-only grades should only apply for financial aid after Lab determines likely projected space and asks for a completed application. If space appears to be unlikely, you should hold off on applying for aid.

Tuition remission is a reduction in tuition that is available to eligible University of Chicago and University of Chicago Medicine employees. To learn more about tuition remission, please see the “Payment Options for University-Affiliated Lab Families section on the UChicago Bursar’s Office Lab webpage. The tuition remission program is run through each organization’s Benefits Office, and Lab cannot provide detailed information regarding individual projected benefits. Employees who have specific questions about qualifying for remission are asked to contact their Human Resources director.

Financial aid is issued by the Laboratory Schools to provide support to families who lack sufficient funds to pay Labs’ full tuition. Support is based on the demonstrated need of a family. Need is demonstrated through the application process and by providing two years of income tax records.

Yes; all applicants to Lab can apply for financial aid. University affiliates who receive tuition remission but feel that they need additional tuition support are welcome to apply for financial aid as well; demonstrated need will be evaluated based on the post-remission tuition amount (a family's obligation after accounting for tuition remission).

A scholarship is an amount of money a donor has given to support students financially at Lab. Scholarships are limited in number and cover tuition plus some additional non-tuition items. Scholarships are need-based, therefore anyone who has applied for financial aid is automatically considered for available scholarships.

Approximately 10 percent of Lab students receive financial aid. Approximately 70 percent of Lab students receive some discount to full tuition, either through financial aid, tuition remission, or both.

Contact the admissions office and set up a time to speak with a financial aid representative regarding your circumstances. Evaluation of circumstances are made on a case by case basis. Families may be required to submit corroborating information and/or provide third party verification of circumstances.